Planning a Military Wedding

by Danielle Andrews Sunkel

Planning a Military Wedding is not very different from planning a civilian wedding, though there are a few key elements to be aware of.

Wedding Invitations

As we know, wedding stationery sets the tone for the whole wedding, so it is important to address the invitations to wedding guests correctly.  Here is a handy guide we created.

For the invitations wording, the officer’s rank determines where the name is placed:

Officers in the army whose rank is Captain, or higher must have their title printed on the same line as their name.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Anderson

Canadian Armed Forces

For Junior Officers:

Matthew Peter Anderson

First Lieutenant, Canadian Armed Forces

 When the bride is in the military, her name appears on one line, and her rank on the next:

 Cynthia Lynn Jones

Captain, Canadian Armed Forces

What to Wear

If the groom or any of the male wedding party are active military, how they should dress is determined by their rank and the formality of the wedding.

Commissioned officers can wear their Dinner or Mess uniform for a Black Tie or Formal wedding.  Their Evening Dress uniform is appropriate for an Ultra-Formal or White tie wedding.

Non-commissioned officers should wear their Dress Blues or Army Greens whether the wedding is Formal or Informal.

Brides who are active in the military may choose to wear their military dress uniform or a wedding gown.

Any officers who are participating as honour attendants in the Sword or Saber Ceremony, must wear white gloves.

*Do NOT pin a boutonniere or corsage on an officer’s uniform, their military decoration is adornment enough.

Arch of Sabers/Swords Ceremony

The main element that differentiates a civilian wedding from a military wedding is the Arch of Swords Ceremony (for Air Force or Army) or the Arch of Sabers (for all other divisions of the armed forces.)  Following the pronouncement of the new couple, the honour attendants will line the centre aisle in pairs and touch the tips of their sabers/swords to create an arch for the couple to walk under.

A second arch may take place outside of the wedding ceremony, where if the bride is a civilian, the final pair of honour attendants will block the couple from passing and the second pair will tap the bride on her rear and say “Welcome to the Army (or appropriate division)”, before letting them pass.

Sword/Saber Cake Cutting

At a military wedding, many couples choose to cut their wedding cake using the groom’s saber or sword.  Make sure the sword is cleaned before they cut the cake (not drawn directly out of the sword sheath) and then cleaned again after the cake cutting, before being re-sheathed.

 

So there you have it, not so scary is it?